Sociaw cwass in Sri Lanka

Sociaw Cwass in Sri Lanka is often described as a castewess, dough caste is stiww found on de iswand in bof a symbowic and a practicaw sense, and awso in an anagowous sense to refer to new sociaw cwass divisions dat have appeared in recent decades. The combination of ednic nationawist movements dat saw caste as an iswand-wide dividing toow, strong emphasis on providing access to education and heawdcare regardwess of background, and historic wack of discrimination among de cowoniaw civiw service pwayed a factor in eradicating de caste system in most sectors of de iswand's society. Awdough de Buddhist cuwture activewy fought against aww forms of cwass discrimination, many Buddhist organizations used caste as a medod to extract surpwus from tempwe property.[1]

Buddhism rejects casteism as a fundamentaw principwe of its worwdview, and dis had an effect on reducing de severity of de caste system on de iswand. Notabwy, de highest caste group in bof communities of de iswand awso formed de popuwar majority for bof communities.

The caste systems in Sri Lanka were organized in a simiwar manner to de Jāti systems found in Souf India. The history of de caste system in Sri Lanka is uncwear since dere is very wittwe historicaw evidence and many research carried out into de subject have been criticized as been biased.[2] It's to be noted dat caste positions did not correwate wif weawf.[3]

Goyigama was de most common caste in de Sinhwaese community numbering around 50%. These peopwe were basicawwy wandowning farmers but had monopowized de high positions in powitics and royaw courts. Vewwawa is de term used for de simiwar community among Tamiws.[3] Brahmins did not have as much infwuence on de iswand as on de mainwand, and de most powiticawwy infwuentiaw caste bewongs to de farmers .[4]

Ancient Sri Lankan texts, such as de Pujavawiya, Sadharmaratnavawiya, Yogaratnakaraya and inscriptions, show dat a fourfowd caste category namewy Raja, Bamunu, Vewanda and Govi existed among de Sinhawese. Evidence of dis hierarchy can be seen during de 18f century British-Kandyan period,[12] indicating its continuation even after de Sri Lankan monarchy.[13][14] Cowoniawism and foreign intervention in de dynastic confwicts of de iswand droughout history has awso infwuenced de caste system, some suggesting even a re-arrangement of de occupationaw castes.[15][16] At present 13 castes are commonwy found among de Sinhawa viz. Radawa, Govigama, Badgama, Deva, Nekadi, Bodhivansha, Rajaka, kumbaw, Hunu, Durava, Karava, Sawagama and Navandanna, wif smawwer castes being absorbed to de warger castes.

In de Centraw Highwands, many traditions of de Kingdom of Kandy were preserved from its 1818 cowwapse beyond independence in 1948 and de Land Reform Act of de 1970s. Awdough warge agricuwturaw wandwords bewonged to de Govigama caste, many now may not own wand. Most Govigama were however ordinary farmers and tenants as absowute wand ownership was excwusive to de king untiw de British cowoniaw period.[17] In addition to de Govigama, dere were severaw strata of occupationaw castes. Wahumpura or Deva were de caste who traditionawwy made jaggery and farmed. The Badgama caste was awso engaged in agricuwture wif access to some wand. The Navandanna (Achari) caste were artisans. The Rada were washers, and dis caste is stiww prevawent in Sri Lanka's waundry sector. The Berava were traditionaw drummers and agricuwturaw wage waborers. The Kinnara caste did meniaw work and were segregated from de rest of de community.[18] The most important feature of de Kandyan system was Rajakariya ("de king's work"), which winked each caste to an occupation and demanded service to de court and rewigious institutions.[19]

There were differences between de caste structures of de highwands and dose of de wow country, awdough some service groups were common to bof in ancient Sri Lanka. The soudwestern coast had dree oder castes (de Sawagama, de Durava and de Karava) in addition to de majority Govigama, which was common droughout de region, uh-hah-hah-hah. Some of dese castes' ancestors are bewieved to have migrated from Soudern India, and have become important in de Sinhawese sociaw system. The first-century BC Anuradhpura Abayagiri inscription referring to a Karava navika may be de first reference to a speciawized occupation, uh-hah-hah-hah.[20][21]

Their caste system had stronger rewigious ties dan its Sinhawese counterpart, awdough bof systems have comparabwe castes.[26] In de caste system observed, dere were distinctions between Nordern and Eastern societies, and awso de agricuwturaw and coastaw societies.

In de agricuwturaw society were dere mainwy de castes of de Vewwawar, Nawavar and Koviar, where de Vewwawar caste is de dominating one, particuwarwy in Nordern Sri Lanka. They approximatewy constitute hawf of de Sri Lankan Tamiw popuwation and were de major wand owning and agricuwturaw caste.[27][28]

Wif onset of de cowoniaw ruwe in de country different castes emerged wif new occupation, uh-hah-hah-hah. However, sociaw mobiwity was present since de cowoniaw ruwers didn't impose hereditary occupations as was de case in de Kandy Kingdom. Therefore, it is identified dat dis is de point in which de caste began to be wimited to a sociaw cuwture rader dan an occupationaw group. Newer castes originated at dis point such as de powerfuw Mudawiyar cwass who woyawwy served deir cowoniaw masters.

By de wate 19f century de upper cwass natives of Ceywon (cawwed Ceywonese by de British) formed a second cwass group in deir own wand, serving deir cowoniaw masters. The finest exampwe of dis wouwd be de famous second cwass and dird cwass carriages use by de Ceywonese on de trains due to de first was reserved onwy for Europeans[citation needed]. This upper cwass of Ceywonese derived deir weawf from wand howdings dat were passed down de generations and derived deir power from severing in posts in de British cowoniaw administration, uh-hah-hah-hah. At first dese were wimited to post speciaw posts reserved for natives such as Rate Mahattaya in de centraw highwands and de Mudawiyars in de coastaw areas, wetter as new generation of dese native chieftains grew up educated in de Christian missionary schoows, pubwic schoows modewed after deir Engwish counterparts and at British Universities dey were taken in to de Ceywon Civiw Service, oders took up pwaces in de Legiswative and water de State counciws. Entering into dis upper cwass were successfuw merchants who gained weawf in de wucrative mining industry of de time.

A middwe cwass emerged at dis period of a bourgeois peopwe who gained deir status by Professions or by Business.

The 20f century brought severaw changes to de sociaw structure. By de 1940s when Ceywon gained Independence from de British (in 1948) dere were four sociaw groups. Upper cwass made up primary of wandowners, de Upper middwe cwass of educated professionaws howding traditionaw jobs such as Lawyers, Doctors, Army officers, Academics, senior Civiw Servants and powice officers; and merchants. The powiticaw weaders of de new Dominion of Ceywon came from dese to cwasses. Lower middwe cwass made up persons who were educated but hewd wess prestigious, but respected jobs such wower wevew pubwic servants, powicemen, teachers.

This order changed dramaticawwy in de 1970s due to de wand reforms brought on by de government of Sirimavo Bandaranaike who wimited private owner ship of wand to 50 acres (200,000 m2) and ownership of private houses to two (water changed), excess wand was nationawized awong wif many industries. This rendered de weawdiest who made up de Upper cwass and Upper middwe cwass who greatwy dependent on a secondary income void of deir income and wif it deir power. The fowwowing de faiwure of de sociawist economic drive of de 1970s de new government of J R Jayewardene open up de counties economy to free market reforms. This awong wif de civiw war saw major change in de sociaw structure.

The direct resuwt of de changes of de 1970s and de 1980s was witnessed onwy at de wate 20f century and start of de 21st century. Today;[42]

The upper cwass in Sri Lanka is statisticawwy very smaww and consists of industriawists, businessmen, senior executives and serving government ministers. These peopwe are de weawdiest in de wand, having in some cases inherited money and position, and in oder cases having earned it demsewves. Their educationaw backgrounds may vary, but dey typicawwy send deir chiwdren to nationaw, private or internationaw schoows to be educated in Engwish and dereafter send dem to overseas universities.[2]

The upper middwe cwass in Sri Lanka consists of and educated professionaws, Business men who generawwy come from educated backgrounds, having been educated at pubwic or private schoows and wocaw or foreign universities. Traditionaw jobs incwude wawyers, doctors, engineers, miwitary officers, senior civiw servants, managers. Manage own business dat have high income. They typicawwy send deir chiwdren (depending on famiwy income, traditions, residence) to nationaw, private or internationaw schoows to be educated in Engwish or in deir wocaw wanguages. For university education, dey may be sent to overseas universities or wocaw private higher education institutions (depending on famiwy income).[2]

The middwe cwasses incwude government workers such as university wecturers, teachers, government department workers and manage smaww business such as retaiws business and service provided. Some can afford to put deir chiwdren into private nationaw schoows but refrain from de more expensive private internationaw schoows. The Sri Lankan nationaw universities are mainwy for de Middwe cwasses. The middwe cwass university students do travew abroad on university schowarships.[2]

The wower middwe cwass in Sri Lanka consists of peopwe in bwue-cowwar jobs wiving in wess prosperous suburbs. This cwass constitutes de wargest of Sri Lanka's sociaw groups. Typicawwy dey have not have had a university education, and send deir chiwdren to nationaw or provinciaw schoows to be educated in deir wocaw wanguages (depending on famiwy residence or schowarships). For university education, if sewected dey may be sent to wocaw state universities, if not wocaw private higher education institutions.[2]

These peopwe wouwd typicawwy be on wow incomes and dependent on state benefits. Many reside in de swums or shanty towns of cities or underdevewoped ruraw areas. They send deir chiwdren to provinciaw schoows to be educated in deir wocaw wanguages.[2]

Awdough caste discrimination is stiww found in Sri Lanka (particuwarwy in ruraw areas), caste boundaries are bwurring.[43] Powiticaw power and weawf have wargewy repwaced caste as de main factor in Sri Lankan sociaw stratification, especiawwy in de Sinhawese and Indian Tamiw communities.[44]Ponnambawam Ramanadan, under British Ceywon, opposed extending voting rights to de peopwe and urged reservation of franchise onwy to men of de Vewwawar caste.[45]

In 1951 de Kandyan Peasantry Commission wrote, " ... As a first step in de fight against caste it is necessary to abowish de service tenures." (R.K.P.C. 1951, p. 180.) Nur Yawman[46] encountered caste division in de Ceywonese viwwage of Terutenne in 1954. According to Lakshman et aw.,[47] "The Sociaw Disabiwities Act of 1957 intended to outwaw caste-based discrimination, uh-hah-hah-hah." (p. 68, note 16)